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A Record-Breaking Year for Guildford Borough Council event venues

Open air event

In 2024, we celebrated a vibrant and successful year of events. Our borough parks and countryside events and venues attracted:

  • 314 event enquiries
  • resulting in 136 successful events
  • hosted across 27 locations
  • with an impressive 258,753 visitors attending

Bookings generated over £90,000 in hire fees. This reflects the growing appeal of Guildford venues to event organisers and visitors.

Cllr Catherine Houston, Lead Councillor for Commercial Services, said:

"We're delighted by the incredible success of our event bookings service over the past year. The wide variety of activities showcased the diversity and vibrancy of our parks and countryside open spaces and venues. From community and charity events to commercial and cultural events, these events have brought our community together.  Visitors to the town have also been treated to farmers and specialist markets, as well as our corporate engagement events. This variety ensures we have something for everyone to enjoy.

"This event success is a testament to the seamless, yet often behind-the-scenes efforts of our team. People who are often invisible, but work hard to ensure that Guildford's open spaces are  safe, accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for all."

2024 event highlights included:

  • Illuminate Guildford, a new and enchanting winter light trail that brought the Castle grounds to life
  • Guilfest returned to Stoke Park, rekindling cherished memories and local nostalgia
  • Guildford Shakespeare Company celebrated 18 years of theatre with an open-air performance of Romeo & Juliet
  • Foodies Festival, a feast of local food, drink, and live music that captivated attendees
  • Pride in Surrey, a colourful, lively celebration that started with a town parade and ended with a festival in Stoke Park
  • Free live music bandstand performances held in the Castle grounds all summer-long

Cllr Houston added:

"These events support our commitment to make Guildford a more inclusive, and prosperous borough. I'm delighted we've been able to host them. I look forward to another exciting programme of events in 2025."

 

Learn more about hiring our parks and open space including filming enquiries.. 

 

Published date: 20 January 2025